Tab ear for tapered containers



` U8 26,1969 y R. A. HElsLER 3,463,352

- TAB EAR FOR TAPERED CONTAINERS ,Filed March 21. 196e INVENTOR.

9|/ RA m40/VDA. HE/s/.ER

United States Patent O 3,463,352 TAB EAR FOR TAPERED CONTAINERS Raymond A. Heisler, 657 Dakota Trail, Franklin Lakes, NJ. 07417 Filed Mar. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 715,052 Int. Cl. B65d 25/32, 21/00 U.S. Cl. 220-91 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The field of art to which this invention pertains is in the class of Metallic Receptacles and more particularly to the subclass of Bail Ears.

Description of the prior art Bail ears such as is shown in my U.S. Patent 3,202,311 of Aug. 24, 1965 and in expired Patents 2,271,922 to Merner of Feb. 3, 1942 and in 1,694,775 to Edwards of Dec. 1l, 1928, all provide ears whose projected configurations are formed prior to their attachment to the walls of the container. In these and other known ears the attached portions extend from the exterior of the container wall an amount which is substantially more than the nominal distance or space between adjacent facing wall portions of nested tapered containers.

When the attached ears or base attachments occupy more than this minimum space, the nested containers are necessarily limited to a stacked array in which the ear or attachment engages the top or rim of the next lower container. In the instance of one-gallon containers having ears of about three-quarters inch diameter and whose axis is about one and five-eighths inches below the top of the container, this causes a spacing in the stacking array of two inches between containers. It is an object of this invention to provide ears in which the ears do not engage the top or rim of the succeeding container.

Summary of the invention The present invention contemplates the providing of two tab members attached to the side walls of metallic containers, which tabs are attached as by projection welding. These attached tabs in their initially attachedposition are disposed to lie snugly adjacent the side wall of the container to which they are attached. The attached tab is contemplated to occupy a space thickness of approximately ten thousandths of an inch. In this manner the containers with their upper rims or bead protrusions arranged in a supporting manner may be stacked one Within the other without the attached tab engaging the side wall of the adjacent container, thus causing the containers to lock or jam in their nesting arrangement. The tab ears contemplated for use on these tapered containers include portions which are to be bent outwardly prior to use or at the time the container is filled. The unattached portions of the tabs of separate dome members adapted for mounting to the tabs are provided with apertures disposed to receive the ends of a bail as applied by mechanism described in my U.S. Patent 3,241,578 issued Mar. 22, 1966.

ICC

In particular, in one embodiment of the invention the tab is contemplated as being a strip of metal having substantially half of a tab attached to the side wall of the container and with the unattached portion having an aperture therein. At the time of use, such as filling of the container, the unattached portion is bent outwardly at a determined angle. The engagement of the unattached tab portion may be by means of a magnetic force which is used to initially deliect the tab, after which the nal bending is by a camming action by means of a tool which engages the tab to cause it to be bent outwardly to lie at a determined angle to the side of the container. With the tab end at a deflected condition, a bail may ybe inserted in the aperture of the tab end.

In another embodiment, a tab having a cut formed in 'a portion of the unattached portion of the tab is dispo-sed to have the unattached portion bent outwardly from the container by means of a camming action and while being held in the bent position the cut portion in the ear is caused to be turned inwardly and upwardly to lie adjacent the tab to provide a reinforced aperture adapted to receive the bail when inserted therein.

In yet another embodiment, an attached tab is provided with two apertures in the unattached portion and when the unattached portion is bent outwardly from the container an end portion is then again bent to form a shelf portion at an angle to the midportion so as to provide a tab having a pair of apertures disposed to accept the ends of the bail as it is formed and inserted thereto.

In yet another embodiment, a tab member is attached midway of its ends with the two end portions of the tab being unattached, whereupon at the time of the filling of the container these unattached portions are bent slightly outwardly to permit a dome shaped ear to be snapped in place or be inserted over the tab and rotated to a locked position.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tab member attachable to the side wall of a tapered container as by welding, said tab member having unattached portions which are provided with bail-retaining means. The un attached portions are bendable to bail-receiving positions at the time the containers are to be used. With the tabs in the initial attached condition on the containers, the tapered containers may be stacked with the tabs disposed between adjacent side walls of the containers.

Intent of the disclosure Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to insure adequacy and aid in an understanding of the invention, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions of further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

There has been chosen a specific embodiment of the bail ear tab for tapered containers as adopted for use therewith and showing a preferred means for using this embodiment and three alternate embodiments as attached to the side walls of a tapered container. This specific embodiment and alternate embodiments thereof have been chosen for the purposes of illustration and description as shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 represents a fragmentary side view partly in section, showing a few tapered containers in nested array and showing the relationship of the attached tabs to the nested containers;

FIG. 2 represents a face or front view of a preferred embodiment of a tab member attached to the side wall of a tapered container;

FIG. 3 represents a somewhat diagrammatic side view showing the relationship of the tab member and ear in an attached position and showing in phantom outline the position of the tab ear as bent to receive the end of a bail;

FIG. 4 represents a face view of an alternate tab member in its formed condition prior to its attachment to the side wall of a container;

FIG. 5 represents a side view, partly diagrammatic, showing the tab member of FIG. 4 and in phantom outline as bent and disposed to receive the end of a bail;

FIG. 6 represents a sectional view in a greatly enlarged scale of the end of the tab of FIG. 5 and showing the tab aperture configuration at the beginning of the formation of the reinforced aperture;

FIG. 7 represents the end of the tab of FIG. 6, but with the forming of the reinforced aperture completed;

FIG. 8 represents a fragmentary sectional side view showing yet another alternate tab member attached to the side wall of a container and retaining thereon a dome shaped ear member;

FIG. 9 represents a plan view of the tab and ear assembly of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 represents a fragmentary sectional side view and showing yet another embodiment of a tab member in an assembled position to the side wall of a container and showing in dashed outline the configuration of the tab end as bent into bail end receiving condition, and

FIG. 1l represents a fragmentary isometric view showing the tab member of FIG. 10 in its bent condition ready to receive a bail.

In the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, are intended to be generic in their application. Corresponding reference characters refer to like members throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The drawing accompanying, and forming part of, this specification .disclose certain details of construction for the purpose of explanation of the broader aspects of the invention, but it should be understood that structural details may be modified in various respects without departure from the concept and principles of the invention and that the invention may be incorporated in other structural forms than shown.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now in particular to FIG. l, it is to be noted that an array of stacked or nested containers are represented as having tapered side walls 16 terminating in upper rolled edges 17. These containers, as they are stacked together, are disposed to have predetermined spaces 18 between adjacent side walls. As reduced to practice, these spaces are approximately fifteen to twenty thousandths of an inch in width. An outwardly extending bead may be formed adjacent the top of the container and the containers nested to support each in abutting relationship with the bead of one container engaging and supporting the next above container. So supported the determined spacing is similar to that shown in FIG. 1. Within these spaces there is seen attached tabs 20, which tabs may be one of several embodiments to be hereinafter more fully described. It is to be noted that the tabs 20 are preferably made of metal approximately eight to ten thousands of an inch thick, which metal is usually embossed in predetermined manner so as to be attached to the side walls 16 by the method of projection welding.

Description of the tab member of FIGS. 2 and 3 Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is to be noted that attached to the side wall 16 is a tab member generally 4 indicated as 22. This tab member has a lower portion 24 provided with embossures 25 which may be in the nature of sharp inwardly extending projections which provide localized penetration for projection welding of the tab portion 24 to the side wall 16 by conventional resistance welding means. The upper portion of the tab 22 is the unattached portion of the tab generally indicated as 26 and extends above the dashed bending line 27. In this upper portion there is formed an aperture 28 which is sized to accommodate a bail which may be formed and applied by means of apparatus such as that identified in my above-identified U.S. Patent No. 3,241,- 578.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3, it is to be noted that after assembly and shipping the containers are separated with each as it is removed from the stack being fed along a filling line and the like. Somewhere in this line apparatus not shown contemplates the use of a magnet and bending fingers positioned and configured to deflect the tab portion 26 from the side wall 16 and bend said unattached portion 26 sufficiently away from the side walls 16 so that the unattached portion 26 is in the outwardly angled position shown in the dashed outline of FIG. 3. With the portion 26 bent to this position, the aperture 28 is now disposed so as to receive and retain the curled end of the bail as applied to the above-identified tab member.

Description of the tab member of FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 Referring now to the tab member shown in FIGS. 4 through 7, it is to be noted that to the container side wall 16, a tab member generally identified as 30 has a lower portion 32 with inwardly extending projections as shown and identified as 33. The upper portion 35 of this tab is formed to include a cut 36 which is in the form of a U. In the manner of FIGS. 2 and 3, the tab 30 is attached to the side wall 16 as in FIG. 5 with the lower portion 32 attached as by projection welding so as to leave the unattached portion 35 lying beside the side wall 16. Referring now particularly to FIG. 6, it is to be noted that the cut 36 may have the inner portion 38 as defined by the three sides of the cut bent slightly inwardly as in FIG. 6 to cause the tab to lie slightly away from the side wall 16. This deflection may provide a determined distance whereby grasping or engaging apparatus having a sharp entering edge is inserted between the side wall and the inner side of the tab adjacent the side wall. The bending apparatus moves the tab portion 3S to the position shown in dashed outline in FIG. 5. With the tab 30 bent in this position, the portion 38 is then caused to be pushed inwardly thence upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 7 to provide a reinforcing portion in the aperture of the tab 30. This reinforcement provides a support surface for engagement and retention of the end of the wire bail.

Description of the ear assembly of FIGS. 8 and 9 Referring now to the assembly of FIGS. 8 and 9, it is to be noted that on the side wall 16 there is provided a tab 40 which is attached at its midportion and has unattached extending portions 42 and 43, which unattached portions may have their ends curved so as to provide arcuate engaging edges. A dome-shaped ear 45 having an aperture' 46 therein has inturned edges 47 which may provide a continuous inturned edge or flange having arcuate cut-outs 48 and 49 formed in the ange as seen in FIG. 9. To install the ear 45 onto the tab 40, it is only necessary that the portions 42 and 43 be bent slightly away from the side wall 16 and the flange of the ear 45 presented thereto. Thus arranged, the ear may have the inturned edge 47 disposed so as to engage the outwardly sprung portions 42 and 43 and with the dome-shaped ear flange 47 dished so as to slide over the ends of the tabs 42, and 43, the dome-shaped ear is brought inwardly against the side wall 16 which may have an anvil supporting the side wall. The ear 45, when maintained in a nested driver, may be urged inwardly to cause the edges of flange 47 to be turned to the position of FIG. 8 to clinch the flange 47 between the tabs 42 and-43 and the side wall 16.

It is to be noted that an alternate method of assembly of the ear 45 to the tab 40 is shown, wherein the ear 45 has cutouts 48 and 49 provided in the flanges 47, whereupon the cut-outs are presented to the arcuate ends 42 and 43 of the tab 40 to cause the ange 47 to be brought adjacent the side wall 16, whereupon the ear 45 is rotat ed approximately ninety degrees, causing the ends 42 and 43 to slide underneath the ange portion 47 to retain the ear 45 thereon.

Description of the tab portion of FIGS. and 11 Referring now to the alternate embodiment shown in FIGS. l0 and 11, it is to be noted that a tab 50 has a portion 52 formed with projections 53 so that the tab portion may be attached to the side walls 16 of the contaner in the manner described for the tab member of FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. It is to be noted that in this embodiment that the unattached upper portion 54 has apertures 55 and 56 formed therein. At the time of filling or use of the container, the upper portion 54 is caused to be' bent outwardly with the lower portion 56 disposed to lie at an angle of approximately thirty degrees to the side wall 16, after which the upper portion 57 is further bent at an included angle of one hundred twenty degrees to lay at approximate ri-ght angles to the side wall 16 of the container, whereby the tab member forms a congurations as seen in FIG. 11 with the apertures 55 and 56 disposed to form a prescribed path disposed to accept and retain a curved end of a bail as formed and inserted by bail-applying apparatus.

Use and operation In the above-described embodiments, it is contemplated that the tab members 20, 22, 30, 40 and 50 are attached to theI side walls 16 of the container. In their attached condition, the members occupy less than the space 18 normally provided between the walls of the stacked array of containers. In this condition the containers are shipped from container manufacturer to the user. This user may be a paint manufacturer or the like and having a filling line. The containers are unstacked and one-at-a-time are fed to this line.

Somewhere in this line, appartus is provided to orient the containers by sensing the tabs and by means of bending or attaching apparatus the tabs are bent or the dome-ear is attached, afterwhich the container is presented to bail-applying apparatus.

This method of shipment enables stacked containers to be nested with a minimum of waste or occupied space for economy in shipping.

Terms such as up, down, bottorn, top, front, back, in, out, and the like are applicable to the emboidments shown and described in conjunction with the drawing. These terms are merely for the purposes of description and do not necessarily apply to the position in which the tab ears for tapered containers may be constructed or used.

The conception of the tab ears and their many applications is not limited to the specific embodiments shown but departures therefrom may be made without sacrificing their chief advantages and protection is sought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

What is claimed is:

1. A tab member attached to the side wall of a tapered container constructed so that a plurality of containers may be stacked in a nested array for transport, the tapered container being further formed with an outwardly extending upper rim or bead protrusion so that at the location of attachment of the tab to the sidewall of the container and with the upper rims or bead protrusion of the nested containers arranged in a supporting abutting manner the nested containers provide between adjacent facing sidewall surfaces thereof a determined nominal spacing which distance is not less than the thickness of the tab attached to the sidewall, the tab member including: (a) a substantially unitary planar member which in its initially attached condition to a sidewall is completely below the upper rim of the container and is disposed to lie substantially contiguous to said sidewall, said tab member having its lower portion attached to the sidewall and its upper portion in an` unattached condition; (b) a physical condition at the juncture of the attached and unattached portions of the tab member permitting the unattached portion of the tab member to be bent to a determined angle to the sidewall of the container, and (c) means on the unattached tab end for receiving and retaining the end of a wire bail to the tab member.

2. A tab member attached to the sidewall of a tapered container as in claim 1 in which the unattached end portion of the tab is formed with an aperture therein and the' other attached portion is welded to the sidewall of the container.

3. A tab member attached to the sidewall of a tapered container as in claim 2 in which the tab member is of metal of a thickness which is from eight to fifteen thousandths of an inch.

4. A tab member attached to the sidewall of a tapered container as in claim 1 in which the unattached end .portion of the tab is formed with a U-shaped out therein, the interior portion of the cut at the time of bending the unattached end of the tab member to a determined angle to the sidewall of the container is bent inwardly and upwardly to provide a reinforced portion of an aperture formed by the cut opeing, and in which the other portion of the tab member is welded to the sidewall of the container.

5. A tab member attached to the sidewall of a tapered container as in claim 1 in which the unattached portion of the tab has formed therein a pair of apertures in spaced relationship to each other and with the apertures aligned with the axis of the container and with the unattached portion of the tab member bent at at determined angle to the sidewall, the portion adjacent the attached portion is bent at about thirty degrees to the side of the container and the remaining unattached end of the tab is further bent inwardly to lie at about right angles to the axis of the container to provide an aperture in each bent .portion and disposed in space to provide a support path for the end of a wire bail mounted therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 298,304 5/ 1884 Krippendori et al. 220-94 359,826 3/1887 Walsh 220--91 625,383 5/1899 Danz 220-91 945,554 1/1910 Lachman 220-91 1,317,715 10/ 1919 Luttringhaus 1,620,059 3/1927 Betts 3,158,285 11/1964 Curtiss 220-91 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,274 1908 Great Britain.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 220-97 

